Appointments and affiliations
President and CEO
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Professor, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine;
Professor, Department of Radiology (cross appointed);
Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (cross appointed);
University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Research Chair Award in Cardiovascular Imaging
University of Ottawa
Dr. Rob Beanlands is President and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), where he leads with a people-first philosophy rooted in collaboration, compassion, social accountability, and community. He believes excellence and impact in cardiovascular care and research begins with the “3Ps”: a patient-first culture, empowered people, and strong partnerships. This approach has positioned him as a catalyst for advancing the Heart Institute’s internationally recognized cardiac care, transformative education, and groundbreaking research, all in service of the patients and communities UOHI serves.
Background
A graduate of the University of Ottawa’s MD program (magna cum laude), Dr. Beanlands trained in cardiology at the University of Toronto and completed an advanced fellowship at the University of Michigan. He joined UOHI in 1992 and served as Chief of Cardiac Imaging 1999-2013 and Chief of the Division of Cardiology from 2012 to 2022. Today, he continues to lead with purpose and pride, driving world-class innovation and care at the Institute.
Internationally recognized as a leading clinician-scientist in cardiovascular imaging, Dr. Beanlands has authored over 450 peer-reviewed publications and has been principal or co-principal investigator of landmark studies including PARR2, IMAGE-HF, CHASM, MARINER and the Canadian Atherosclerotic Imaging Network. A pioneer in cardiac PET imaging, he founded the National Cardiac PET Centre, Canada’s first cardiac PET centre. He has redefined how heart disease is diagnosed, understood, and treated. His research has shaped clinical guidelines and health policy, improving outcomes for patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and inflammatory heart conditions.
Dr. Beanlands was the University of Ottawa Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Imaging Research and has held senior editorial and leadership roles in national and international cardiovascular societies and journals. His contributions have earned numerous accolades, including: The Margolese National Heart Disorders Award, (2023) the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Research and Overall Achievement Awards (2015 and 2022) and recently the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology’s Distinguished Clinician and Teacher Award (2025).
As President and CEO, Dr. Beanlands is focused on strengthening UOHI’s legacy of innovation, inclusion, and world-class cardiac care, while expanding its reach locally, nationally, and globally. Through strategic partnerships, community engagement, and an unwavering commitment to patient-centred care and a people-first culture, he is dedicated to elevating the Institute’s impact and ensuring it continues to grow as a global leader transforming cardiac care and heart health for all.
Publications
See current publications list at PubMed.
Selected publications
The Alternative Imaging Modalities in Ischemic Heart Failure, (AIMI-HF) TRIAL – IMAGE HF project 1A - Brief Title: Ischemia Imaging in Heart Failure
Lisa M Mielniczuk, MD,1 * Eileen O’Meara, MD,2 * Christiane Wiefels, MD,3 Li Chen, MSc, 4 Linda Garrard, RN,1 James White, MD,5 Robert A deKemp, PhD, 1 Marcelo F Di Carli, MD, 6 Eric Larose, MD, 7 David I Paterson, MD, 1,8 Justin Ezekowitz, MB, 8 Riina Mandolin, MD, 9 Graham Wright, PhD, 10 Roxana Campisi, MD, 11 Mika K Laine, MD 12, Kim Connelly, MBBS PhD 13 Miroslaw Rajda, MD, 14 Joao V Vitola, MD, 15 Serge Lepage, MD, 16 Juha Hartikainen, MD, 17 Benjamin Chow MD, 1 Anahita Tavoosi, MD, 1 Juhani Knuuti, MD, 18, * George A Wells, PhD 4, * Rob SB Beanlands MD, CJCOpen 2025 [in press]
Cardiac PET Myocardial Blood Flow Quantification Assessment of Early Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy.Chih S, Tavoosi A, Nair V, Chong AY, Džavík V, Aleksova N, So DY, deKemp RA, Amara I, Wells GA, Bernick J, Overgaard CB, Celiker-Guler E, Mielniczuk LM, Stadnick E, McGuinty C, Ross HJ, Beanlands RSB. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2024 Jun;17(6):642-655. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2023.10.003. Epub 2023 Nov 22.PMID: 37999656
Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance Clinical Practice Update on Myocardial Infarction With No Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease (MINOCA).Pacheco C, Coutinho T, Bastiany A, Beanlands R, Boczar KE, Gulati M, Liu S, Luu J, Mulvagh SL, Paquin A, Saw J, Sedlak T.Can J Cardiol. 2024 Jun;40(6):953-968. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.02.032.PMID: 38852985
The Canadian Study of Arterial Inflammation in Patients with Diabetes and Recent Vascular Events, Evaluation of Colchicine Effectiveness (CADENCE): protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Boczar KE, Shin S, deKemp RA, Dowlatshahi D, Tavoosi A, Wiefels C, Liu P, Lochnan H, MacPherson PA, Chong AY, Torres C, Leung E, Tawakol A, Ahmadi A, Garrard L, Lefebvre C, Kelly C, MacPhee P, Tilokee E, Raggi P, Wells GA, Beanlands R.BMJ Open. 2023 Nov 10;13(11):e074463. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074463.PMID: 37949621
Regional Distribution of Fluorine-18-Flubrobenguane and Carbon-11-Hydroxyephedrine for Cardiac PET Imaging of Sympathetic Innervation.Zelt JGE, Britt D, Mair BA, Rotstein BH, Quigley S, Walter O, Garrard L, Robinson S, Mielniczuk LM, deKemp RA, Beanlands RS.JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2021 Jul;14(7):1425-1436. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2020.09.026. Epub 2020 Nov 18.PMID: 33221229
OUTSMART HF: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Routine Versus Selective Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for Patients With Nonischemic Heart Failure (IMAGE-HF 1B).Paterson DI, Wells G, Erthal F, Mielniczuk L, O'Meara E, White J, Connelly KA, Knuuti J, Radja M, Laine M, Chow BJW, Kandolin R, Chen L, Dick A, Dennie C, Garrard L, Ezekowitz J, Beanlands R, Chan KL; IMAGE-HF Investigators.Circulation. 2020 Mar 10;141(10):818-827. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.043964. Epub 2020 Jan 8.PMID: 31910649
Coronary artery microvascular dysfunction: Role of sex and arterial load.Coutinho T, Mielniczuk LM, Srivaratharajah K, deKemp R, Wells GA, Beanlands RS.Int J Cardiol. 2018 Nov 1;270:42-47. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.06.072. Epub 2018 Jun 20.PMID: 29954671
PET Assessment of Epicardial Intimal Disease and Microvascular Dysfunction in Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy.Chih S, Chong AY, Erthal F, deKemp RA, Davies RA, Stadnick E, So DY, Overgaard C, Wells G, Mielniczuk LM, Beanlands RSB.J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 Apr 3;71(13):1444-1456. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.01.062.PMID: 29598865
Youssef G, Leung E, Mylonas I, Nery P, Williams K, Wisenberg G, Gulenchyn KY, deKemp RA, DaSilva J, Birnie D, Wells G, Beanlands RSB. The Use of FDG-18 PET Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Sarcoidosis, a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Including the Ontario Experience. J Nucl Med. 2012;53(2):241-8.
Ziadi MC, deKemp RA, Williams K, Guo A, Chow BJW, Renaud JM, Ruddy TD, Sarveswaran N, Tee R, Beanlands RSB. Impaired Myocardial Flow Reserve on Rubidium-82 Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Predicts Adverse Outcomes In Patients Assessed for Myocardial Ischemia. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;58(7):740-8.